


Love and Lost

by kateh3



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-14 06:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13001943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kateh3/pseuds/kateh3
Summary: Because this relationship is not happening as fast as I need it to.





	1. Chapter 1

Gert was walking from school to get home and finally start the Hot Girls Wanted documentary when suddenly she hears her named being called. She turns around to see John, Chase’s lacross teammate running after her. Thinking that stopping would only lead to further torment, she keeps on walking with her head down. John catches up to her. 

“Didn’t you see me running to catch up with you?” he asks in a teasing voice.

“Um… yeah. Sorry” Gert said awkwardly. She had no reason to mean to him, but this was suspicious. Why was he talking to her? Let alone in a friendly tone of voice.

“So, I heard you were tutoring Chase in Spanish…”

Ahhh thought Gert, this is why. He wanted something from her.

“…and I’m in AP Spanish as well, and I was wondering maybe if you wanted to study together sometime?”

Oh, Thought Gert. Not exactly what she thought was going to happen.

“Um, I don’t know. We’re not in the same class. I have Señor Walter, you have Señora Capaldo. And I think I do better alone.”

John flashed a charming smile, “but then how would we get to know each other?”

Gert was dumbfounded. Why was this jock suddenly taking an interest in her? 

“What are you trying to say?”  
“I’m saying, let’s grab coffee.”  
“…”  
“…”  
“…”  
“…Gert?”

Gert snapped out of the catatonic state she was in.

“Um, yeah... um, ok,” She said, “let’s get coffee.”

John beamed.

“Great! How does tonight work, say around 6? We can meet at the Starbucks on 10th?”

“…Sure.”

“I’ll see you then!” John said enthusiastically as he waved goodbye and walked back towards the school.

“…Yeah, see you then” Gert trailed off.

Well this was suspicious, John hadn’t spoken more than 3 sentences to Gert since Middle School. True, he was one of the less thickheaded jocks, but still, he was hardly Gert’s type. 

Gert turned her head to see Karolina and Chase whispering clandestinely, like they were discussing how to turn metal in gold. She feels a pang in her heart as she sees the two together. They just look so right. 

She felt a tinge in her chest, but quickly turned away. As she walked to her car, she was determined to put the thought out of her mind. 

“Hey!” said Molly as she arrived at the car.

“Hey”

“How was your day?”

“Fine”

“Mine was great too, thanks for asking. Got an A on my math test.”

“Let’s just go home.”


	2. Chapter 2

Gert and Molly arrived at the Alex’s mansion just a bit late. Someone (Molly) insisted stopping by McDonald’s to get food. 

When they get to Alex’s room, everyone is already there. Nico and Alex sitting side by side, while Karolina and Chase sat opposite them. 

Gert plopped down in a cushy armchair while Molly sat down on the floor next to her. 

“So what’s up guys? Who’s ready for the next step in Operation: Our Parents are Murderers?” said Gert. 

Molly grimaced in response.

Karolina rolled her eyes, “Gert, this is serious. Our parents could all go to jail and we’d be homeless.”

Gert took a breath, “I know… it just helps make the situation lighter if we joke about it. I cannot believe my parents would do anything like this.”

Karolina covered Gert’s hand with her own and gave her a reassuring smile that said everything would be ok. 

It would not be ok. 

Alex launched into a convoluted plan, they we’re going to be able to access the encrypted video file once he had access to Wizard’s firewall. So, they had to wait until Pride’s big gala next month. Until then, the plan was to gather as much intel as possible individually, and share their findings every week. 

Everyone agreed upon the plan and started to get up and leave. Gert was waiting in the car for Molly to go to the bathroom. 

She jumped when she heard a knock at her window.

It was Chase.

Gert rolled down her window.

“..Hey” she said tentatively.

“So I know last time we tried to study didn’t work out so well…but I have this huge Spanish test on Tuesday and I could really use the help?”

“I don’t know Chase…”

“Come on, please! Just for a little bit tonight, I can grab some of that Chinese that you like? We can meet around 6 at my place?”

Gert considered it but then she remembered,

“I can’t, I told John I’d meet up with him tonight.”

Chase took a moment to register what she had just said.

“…John?”

“Yeah, John.”

“John Moriarty?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“John Moriarty, the guy on the lacrosse team.”

“Jeez Chase, do you need some sort of visual aid? Yes. John. From your lacrosse team, is that really so hard to wrap your head around?”

“No! Of course not! It’s just… why are you hanging out? He’s not really your type is he?”

Gert’s eyebrows raised, she was surprised by the question. Why would Chase care about what her type is? Also, why was he acting so protectively, he clearly didn’t have any feelings for her. Finally, why the fuck couldn’t she get a guy like John. Fine, she’s no Karolina, but she was a motherfucking catch. Smart, outspoken, funny, not a bad looker either. God Chase, calm the fuck down.

“Ok, to begin with, I’m allowed to hang out with anyone I want to. Secondly, who is and is not my type is none of your business. And lastly, is it so out of the realm of possibility that John would want to spend time with me? Am I not fun?”

Chase looked taken aback,

“No! That’s not it at all, I just didn’t know you guys were friends, or even knew each other.”

“Well, we’re not really friends I guess, he just asked to hang out, and I figured, why not?

“Oh, ok well, have fun then, maybe another time? I really need the help.”

Gert sighed, “Yeah sure, how does tomorrow after school work for you?”

“I have practice until 5, but 5:30, at the library?”

“Perfect! Thanks so much Gert!”

“No problem.”

As Chase walked away, Gert stared at his shoulders…and butt. She hoped for a world in which they could’ve been together. Maybe if Amy hadn’t died, or if they kept talking when the whole group was going to shit. 

It was too late for all of that know.


	3. Chapter 3

When John walked into the coffee house, he saw Gert sitting there listening to music, casually concentrating on her homework.  
As he approached her, Gert looked up from her chair and gave a small smile. 

“Hey,”

“Hey! How ya doing?”

“Fine, how about you?”

“Better now,” he said with a cheeky grin.

Gert blushed

“So how was your day?” he continued.

Gert looked rather shocked by this question, eyebrows raised and all. The only other people who had ever bothered asking how her day was were her parents and occasionally Molly. 

“Uh it was fine, school was good. Homework almost finished. Nearly done writing my essay for Wells.”

“Oh nice! I’m in Jackson’s English class, are you guys reading Wuthering Heights as well?”

“Yeah, always fun reading about borderline abusive, highly toxic relationships.”

“Well that’s a hot take. Don’t most people find Heathcliff romantic and tortured?” teased John

“Most people are stupid.”

“Fair enough,” laughed John, “I suppose Heathcliff’s behavior is kinda comparable to Gatsby. It’s all about the endgame, he has a dream and he won’t let anyone stop him. It’s kinda admirable. The determination, the vision.”

Gert was surprised yet again, John Moriarity read books? He understood books?

“Well while his ambition may be impressive, just because a man is ambitious and ruthless does not mean he is worthy of praise. If a woman’s character had these traits, she’d be labeled a bitch. Further, Gatsby was a bootlegger, he was a criminal. And Heathcliff was a manipulative, cruel and pitiless character. He was as much a villain as he was a hero.”

“However irredeemable Heathcliff may be, you can still understand his motivation. It’s very clearly layed out, his abuse from childhood, his constant mistreatment. He took all this, and yes became bitter, but he made something from it. I think that’s impressive within itself. And you have to look at it in the context of that time period.”

“I think you’re focusing too much on this transition, look at the rest of the entire work, when Heathcliff was a giant douche. He’s defined by how he reacts to cruelty, which is with more cruelty. As far as context goes, classics are important. But what’s more important establishing however great the classics are, there are a lot of problems with the past. And our English program keeps on glorifying and romanticizing the past, much like Heathcliff himself ironically.”

“Well I can’t argue with that,” said John with a smile.

Gert was shocked at how fired up she got. She just had an engaging, complex conversation…with John Moriarity.

What the fuck was happening.

“So can I buy you a coffee and we can discuss the merits of organized religion?”

Gert couldn’t help but smile a big goofy smile, “Yeah, that would be great.”


	4. Chapter 4

"And that's why I don't think I can ever get behind the libertarian party. While I understand in principle, in execution it's just impossible."

Gert and John had been talking for nearly 3 hours, without pause. The jumped from topic to topic. From literature, to history, to current events, to family life.

John finally looked at his watch and sighed, "It's getting late, I have to be back at my house for dinner. But I'd love to do this again sometime?"

Gert smiled, she ended up really enjoying herself, "Yeah I'd love that."

"Great! Can we maybe grab dinner this weekend? Maybe see the new Guillermo del Toro film?"

"Oh yeah! I hear the Shape of Water is supposed to be great!"

"Great I'll pick you up this Saturday at 6. Text me your address?"

"Sure, I'll see you then." 

"Bye Gert, it was great talking to you." 

John leaned down and kissed her on the cheek quickly, almost as if he was nervous. He flashed a smile and then made his way out of the coffee shop.

Gert lifted her hand to her cheek, where John's lips previously resided. 

What the fuck just happened.

Was she just…kissed? Did John actually like her? More importantly, did she like him?

Her reverie was interrupted by Karolina's gentle prodding. 

"Gert?" Karolina asked as she tapped Gert on the shoulder.

She looked up, "Oh, hey."

"I saw John just walked out of here looking very happy, what was all that about?"

"Oh nothing, we were just hanging out."

Karolina gave a teasing smile, "OH, hanging out now?" she said with a smirk.

Gert smiled embarrassingly. 

"Well I think that's great, John's a good guy. And he seems to really like you," Karolina said smiling.

"And I won't pine over Chase anymore which would be good for you." Gert replied snarkily.

Karolina's smile faded.

Gert immediately regretted her comment.

"Sorry," she said, "I don't know why I said that."

Karolina gave a small smile, "It's ok."

There was an awkward pause.

"Ya know Karolina," Gert started tentatively, "you can talk to me. Whenever you need to. About anything. If you can't talk to Chase, or Nico, and since our parents are kinda out of the question right now, I'm here."

Karolina smiled at Gert, "Thanks Gert. You can too you know. Anything you need."

Their phones buzzed at the same time. It was a message from Alex. 

"Nico and I found something at her house. Meet up Saturday at noon at my place."


	5. Chapter 5

It was the 12th time they had gone over this. 

"No Chase, puedes is the tu form of the verb poder."

Gert had walked to the library after school and done her Calculus homework until Chase was done practice. 

"God, I just don't get this stuff" Chase said angrily, slamming his book shut.

"Verb conjugation is hard, keep at it. You're not going to do yourself any favors by giving up."

Chase huffs, and takes a deep breath. 

"Ok, I know I can do this." He said

"Yeah you can. If you can make mittens that shoot fire, you can learn how to conjugate irregular verbs."

Chase cracks a smile at that remark.

"Thanks Gert."

Gert feels like this is when someone in a romance novel would blush, but the best she can do is roll her eyes and say,

"Whatever nerd, come on let's run them again."

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After two hours of intense drilling, Chase had mastered his vocab for his test and was now able to conjugate 20 basic verbs. Count 'em 20.

As they were packing up and walking out of the library, Gert pulled out her phone to call an uber.

"You know I can just give you a ride right?" asked Chase with an eyebrow raised.

"Really? You sure it won't hurt your cred to be seen with me. It is still light out after all"

Chase looked a little ashamed. (Which made Gert feel both ashamed and pleased at the same time)

"I'm kinda hungry anyways, so I was going to stop by Golden Bowl and grab something to eat," said Gert. "It's ok, I know that's out of your way."

Chase gave her a funny look. As if to say, why are you being so nice right now.

"How about I buy you some veggie lo mein as payment for you sharing your 'mastery of the foreign tongue'" Chase quipped

Gert smiled begrudgingly and let out a laugh.

"Alright nerd, but I want a spring roll too."


	6. Chapter 6

It was Saturday morning, and Gert was not happy. Saturdays are sacred days, meant for sleeping in 'til 1 and reading trashy YA novels. Not to scheme with her (not-so) estranged childhood friends about their possibly murderous parents.

But she was here, dutiful friend that she was. 

Really she would have slept through it, but Molly bounced in to her room at 7 AM (7 AM for god's sake!) to make sure that Gert was up and at it.

So, she was here. She was ready to overthrow her evil parents. And she even put on clothes that were not sweatpants.

She was in Alex's house (mansion) with Molly, all coffee-d up and ready to Nancy Drew the crap outta this case. 

They all gathered around the room, sitting on the floor or various chairs.

Nico and Alex had brought some sort of staff thing, it looked like a giant bubble wand. 

"What the hell is that?" asked Chase groggily.

Gert smiled, amused that Chase was also not a morning person.

"Just watch," said Nico

Nico pricked her thumb on the wand and suddenly it's bottom shot out and elongated, turning into a staff. And the circular object on top started glowing!

"What the fuck," whispered Chase.

"Awesome," said Molly excitedly

Then somehow, it started to rain inside the room. Inside the room! Precipitation was seemingly coming from the drywall ceiling, though the ceiling itself wasn't getting wet.

Karolina just stared in amazement, smiling slightly. She glanced at Nico, who was biting her lip.

"What's wrong?" Karolina asked.

"It's just that…I don't know how I'm doing this and I don't know why it only works for me…but I know that this means something bad for Amy. This and her journal, and our parent's being killers…It's all just too weird." Said Nico

Karolina took Nico's hand and gave it a firm squeeze and smiled, "It will be ok. We just have to stick together."

Nico smiled sadly back, holding her hand for a little too long.

Chase watched this whole interaction happen with a puzzled expression.

"Ok," said Gert, "This is awesome and you're Harry Potter-ing the shit outta this situation, but how does this relate to our parents?"

Nico dropped Karolina's hand and regained her bearings.

"We're pretty sure this is what my mom used during that creepy ceremony thing. So who's to say we can't use it either?"

Alex nodded along, "Nico thinks she can learn how to use this thing by the time the gala comes around. So, we can make sure our parents can't see us when we're sneaking around, or we can maybe even keep them contained."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Gert.

Everyone looked at her.

"Not awesome that we have to sneak around, awesome that Nico can even do that, obviously.:

Chase rolled his eyes but there was a smile underneath it all.

They all planned a little bit more for the upcoming gala, well Alex planned, they listened.

They were finishing up and ended up just discussing their plans for the rest of the day. 

Alex had proposed that they all hang out together tonight to, "make sure our parents believe we're still friends."

But Gert knew that he just wanted an excuse to get close to Nico.

They all agreed to do so, they decided to work at Nico's house to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Minoru see them. 

Then Gert remembered, "Oh wait! I can't."

"What, you got a hot date?" asked Karolina teasingly

Gert blushed but said nothing.

"Oh my god you do have a hot date! With John!" exclaimed Karolina excitedly.

Gert nodded, as if she was embarrassed.

"Ok! Change of plans! Ladies, we are going to Gert's house and helping her prep for her date! Gentlemen…entertain yourselves." Karolina said decidedly.

Nico looked exasperated (but secretly excited) however Molly looked through the roof.

"Oh my god! I have so many ideas for your outfit! How do you feel about cats?"

Gert loved feeling important but would never tell that to anyone, she smiled at her friends and said, "Alright nerd, lets head to my house. I'll drive."

As all the girls piled into Gert's car, Chase looked on moodily. As if deep in thought. 

Gert took one last glance at him as she pulled out of the Wilder's driveway, Chase's eyebrows were furrowed. He looked solemn, confused, and almost angry. 

Her detailed observations of Chase were quickly interrupted by Molly's chattering,

"Ok I know you don't like pink but I think we should paint your nails fuchsia!"

Oh god, thought Gert.


End file.
